


Tranquillity

by Redburn



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Getting Together, Green is pissed, Light Angst, M/M, Namelessshipping, feat Red being dumb up on a mountain as usual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2016-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-29 00:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8468785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redburn/pseuds/Redburn
Summary: "No one else he knew was dumb enough to climb up a mountain and live there for 3 years."





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still in love with them being back!! expect more from me again soon lmao
> 
> this story isn't about Alola, but I just had to write it down anyway, so I hope you enjoy it!

  


“You asshole.”

It's been 3 years since Green last saw his former rival, and most of it was spent wondering if he was even still alive. Green was pissed, to say the least.

He stalked over to him, bringing his fist up to connect with Red's jaw, _hard_.

Red staggered back, but didn't fall. His eyes were still wide, as if he couldn't believe Green was here with him, flesh, blood and all. Red cupped his face where Green had struck him, and Green couldn't fail to notice how skinny he was now; eyes sunken in, clothes barely clinging to him, his dark hair flatter against his head.

“This _entire_ time?” Green couldn't keep the sneer from his voice, “You have everyone worried sick, Red. Your mother still thinks you might be _dead_. What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?”

Red didn't say anything, instead averting his gaze on the ground.

“Do you know how goddamn frustrated you've made me? I thought, I-” Green chokes, and he thinks, _fuck it_ , and lets go, “I've missed you so much, you complete _asshole_.”

Red's eyes snap up to meet his, disbelieving. Green scoffs, because _of course_ Red didn't think Green still cared about him. The last time he had seen Red was after he stole the champion title from him, after only a pathetically short lived day. Green had cut him off, only feeling failure and bitterness whenever he looked at Red then.

He had let his emotions get the better of him, sure, but after some time he decided to finally accept his defeat. Only by that point, Red had disappeared from the world without a trace, and the closure that Green had wanted never came.

Until now, that is.

It was strange, seeing him again after all of these years. The story of Red had almost become a myth, a tale to tell the children at night, but Green never believed any of it. He had refused to accept his old friend had vanished, just like that. It used to plague his thoughts at night, like a cold hard reminder. And then when he'd overhead a kid one day tell his friend about a strong trainer up on Mt. Silver, Green just knew, without a doubt in his mind. It _had_ to be him.

No one else he knew was dumb enough to climb up a mountain and live there for 3 years.

So now he was here, face to face with a man who was essentially a ghost now, and Green walked over to punch Red again on his other cheek.

Red wasn't fighting back, and that made Green even more mad, as if Green wasn't even worth the effort to waste energy on.

“I hate you!” Green shoved him, wanting to get a reaction; something, _anything_ , “I really hate you Red. I really, really do!” He thinks he feels tears running down his face, but he's too focused on releasing his frustrations - it's too much, all at once.

“I _hate_ you,” he sobs, gripping the front of Red's shirt now.

Red looks at him and lets out a deep sigh, worn through, and he brings a hand up to wrap around Green's neck comfortingly.

Green's not sure why he does it, but he pulls Red towards him, fast and without thinking, and slams his mouth against Red's.

Their lips are both cold to the touch, it's unskilled and messy, and he pulls away before Red can even respond. He avoids Red's gaze, looking at the bruise on his jaw instead, and his grip never loosens their hold on his shirt, afraid Red might disappear into a cloud of smoke.

“I hate you,” Green whispers, the words losing all meaning.

The whole universe narrows down to them in that moment; every intake of breath, every emotion, and Green closes his eyes and takes it all in.

 

-

 

Red doesn't come down from the mountain, no matter what Green says or does.

His Pokemon are still in good health, so Green can't be mad at Red about that. _Fine_ , Green thinks, if Red wants to continue being a stubborn asshole and isolate himself up on that mountain, then _fine_. But he can't hide from Green anymore, not now, and so Green takes it upon himself to bring Red some much needed clothes and supplies.

Down at the Gym he doesn't tell his second in command, Salma, about the specifics, only that he's setting aside 3 days every month to go on personal errands. Salma tries to ask why, but Green always shoots her a look that effectively cuts her off.

Green even battles Red one day when he brings Eevee up with him in the hopes it can convince him to return to civilization. He loses, and it's not really a surprise.  As the months go by his visits start to feel less like a chore, and aside from climbing up that damn mountain all the time, he does appreciate the workout it gives him.

It's nice to be with Red again. Green begins to relearn the way Red communicates, flickering expressions and small movements, and it was always a privilege to watch Red battle.

Before, Green never would have thought something so out-of-character like that about his formal rival. But he’d matured, and after he finally accepted his loss in the league all those years ago, he realized one day that he was always meant to lose against Red like some kind of fate, and really, he was okay with that.

Red was someone who he, no matter how hard Green tried, could never erase from his life.

They had always been two sides of the same coin, after all.

 

-

 

One day, when Green had been doing some paperwork in his office, a young trainer had strolled into his Gym with an air of bravado and confidence about him and asked Green for a battle worth fighting.

Green accepted, and after the first round he actually had to put effort into their match, and by the time they were done he felt sweat on his forehead, his heart beating erratically as he came down from the high. The kid was good, the best he'd ever seen, and he shook his hand before presenting him with a badge.

And then, like flicking on a switch, he sent the boy off with a simple task and the promise of an even tougher challenger to face. All Green could do now, was hope.

 

-

 

A week later he found out.

He saw the kid again, bragging and chuffed that he had beaten the man on the mountain, the champion of Kanto, and Green felt a mixture of sadness and elated joy burst in his chest.

And then another week went by, and he still hadn't seen or heard from Red.

He tried not to worry about it.

The time of month came for him to make his usual round up the mountain, but Green wasn't even sure his friend was still up there. He went anyway. Red clouded his mind as he hiked up the walls of the steep rocks, white blankets of snow as thick as ever. He wondered if he could be wrong, that maybe Red had come down, but then he saw it - fresh footprints leading up to the small mouth of the cave.

Green stormed inside, not even knowing what he was going to yell at Red first.

But there was no one in sight.

Red’s make-shift bed was still there, some freshly used revives littered across the floor and a fire that had begun to flicker out.

Red was still here, somewhere on this mountain, and so Green was going to wait for him to come back so he could drag the other man home whether he liked it or not.

He walked over to the bed, allowing himself to take a quick nap, and he fell asleep the minute his head hit the pillow.

 

-

 

Green woke up to soft yellow fur nuzzling his face. He blinked his eyes open wearily, coming into focus to see Pikachu on the bed with him, and Red sitting a few feet away while he ate some beans from a can.

“Why haven’t you come back?” is the first thing out of Green’s mouth, straight to the point.

Red avoids his gaze, calling Pikachu back over with a flick of his wrist. The Pokemon jumps on his shoulder affectionately, and Red brings up a spoonful of beans for him to eat.

“Come home Red.” Green stands up and walks over to him, frustrated and tired, and he briefly wonders how his life ever became this difficult.

“I’m fine,” Red answers, the first words Green’s heard since finding him months ago.

Green is shaking his head already, refusing to give up, and he runs a hand through his messy hair and lets out a groan. “I’m taking you home and you’re not going to argue with me about it.”

Red doesn’t move, merely puts the empty can on the ground, the sound echoing around them throughout the depths of the cave. Green stays in his place, waiting, and Pikachu looks between the two trainers questioningly.

“I lost.”

“I know,” Green says, feeling a pang of sympathy for him, but it’s not like Green hasn’t suffered through his fair share of losses.

Finally Green has enough, yanking Red up by his arm, and before Red can make any move to protest the action Green silences him with another harsh kiss. He cups Red’s face in his hands, holding him in place, and after a beat of stiffness Red responds, pressing back just as hard and turning the kiss into a biting display.

Green separates them, breathing hard, and he says one more time in a shaky voice, “Please come home.”

Red finally nods.

 

-

 

Things after that aren’t really all that different. They leave the mountain, go back to the real world, and Green doesn’t think twice about inviting Red back to his tiny apartment. He pushes Red towards the shower with a clean set of clothes, and while he waits he cooks up some decent food for his friend, figuring he’d need it.

They sit in silence, with Pikachu and Eevee resting comfortably together on the small couch in the living room, and Green is suddenly struck by how little things have changed since before they had both left on their journeys all those years ago.

Red finishes the meal, picking the plate up and taking it over to the sink. Green allows himself to smile briefly, and he gets up to go and get some spare sheets from the closet to make up a bed for Red. When he reaches for the handle he stops, thinking, and he makes one of the easiest decisions he’s ever thought in his life.

He pads back out to the kitchen and Red’s standing near the small window where Green’s dead plant still sits, and the setting sun paints a gorgeous orange glow over his face. Green watches him for a moment, as if he can’t quite believe he’s here, and then he walks over until he’s only a foot away.

“You tired?”

Red looks at him, and Green sees his answer before Red can even nod.

“C’mon,” Green murmurs, taking Red’s hand and pulling him towards his bedroom.

Green is thankful he chose to get a king size bed all those years ago, even though it takes up most of the space in his room. He guides Red over to it and plops him down, and before Red can quite catch up to what’s happening Green is sliding in next to him, pulling the covers up over them both into a cocoon of warmth.

“Green,” Red breathes, face questioning.

“Sleep.” He reaches out for Red’s hand under the blanket, and he moves forward so his forehead is almost resting against Red’s.

Red’s expression softens, and he finally allows his eyelids to flutter shut, body lax. Green commits the sight to memory, holding on tight and feeling a weight in his chest finally burst free.

 

-

 

When Green wakes up, Red is gone.

At first he thinks he might just be in the bathroom, and then maybe the living room. But he’s nowhere in sight, and Green feels that weight return, like a punch to his chest, and breathing suddenly becomes a lot harder then.

He goes to sit down, mind unable to do anything more. He breathes in. He breathes out.

It’s a quarter past 9 on a Friday, and Green very strongly remembers he has a Gym to run. He promised Salma he would be back by today, but he’s honestly not sure he can take it, thinks the mere idea of battling would make him sick.

Eevee appears then, her tiny paws prodding him gently, but Green can’t focus on anything else right now.

And then there’s a knock at the door.

He almost doesn’t get up to answer - it’s only when Eevee head-butts him that he snaps into gear. He walks over, ready to tell whoever is there that it’s not the best time, until he opens the door only to find Red on the other side.

He blinks, and then he spits out, “Where the _fuck_ did you go?”

Red’s eyes widen a fraction, and it’s then that Green looks down to see a brown paper bag clutched in his hand, a coffee in the other. Red holds them up as explanation, and Green can’t help it when a half sob, half laugh escapes his throat.

“Oh,” Green says, a wave of embarrassment washing over him. He takes the drink and food from Red, and steps aside to let him back in.

Green places the items on the table, his nerves relaxing at last and he turns to look at Red grimly, says, “I thought… I thought you’d left again.”

Red looks at him as if Green was the dumbest guy in the world, and really, Green was pretty much feeling like it right now.

“I didn’t mean to worry you,” Red’s voice is hoarse, wilted. “You didn’t have any food, so.”

Green is walking over to him before he even finishes, and he stops, only a breath away from Red. And then Green thinks, clear as day, why he had never realized this before.

“I love you.” He says in return.

A beat of silence, and then Red smiles at him, slow and beautiful, and Green knows that he’ll never have to worry about Red leaving again.

They meet each other in a kiss.

 

  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!  
> [/tumblr](http://edsbrak.tumblr.com/) x


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